Pool construction

ABSTRACT

A one-piece molded pool construction for use in a garden and the like comprising an interior side wall portion for holding water. An integrally formed outer wall extends downwardly in spaced relationship relative to the interior wall for a short distance. This outer wall terminates in an outwardly extending flange. A second outwardly extending flange is located at the bottom of the construction, and the pool is located in place in an excavation or the like whereby both flanges are positioned beneath the surface with fill material extending over both flanges.

United States Patent 91 Rynberk POOL CONSTRUCTION [75] Inventor: Robert W. Rynberk, Oak Lawn, Ill.

[73] Assignee: Imperial Landscape & Supply Co.,

Inc., Oak Lawn, lll.

[11] 3,823,690 July 16,1974

Primary Examiner-Antonio F. Guida Assistant Examiner-J. N. Eskovitz Attorney, Agent, or Firm-McDougall, Hersh & Scott [57] ABSTRACT A one-piece molded pool construction for use in a garden and the lik'evcomprising an interior side wall portion for holding water. An integrally formed outer wall extends downwardly in spaced relationship relative to the interior wall fora'short distance. This outer wall terminates inan outwardly extending flange. A second outwardly extending flange is located at the bottom of the construction, and the pool is located in place in an excavation or the like whereby both flanges are positioned beneath the surface with fill material extending over both flanges.

2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures POOL CONSTRUCTION This invention relates to an improved pool construction. The invention is particularly directed to a pool construction suitable for use in a garden or for other decorative purposes. A typical example would be a goldfish pond.

In the past, pools of the type contemplated have been constructed in place. Concrete or other material might be utilized for shaping the water containing portions of the pool. Such arrangements are relatively expensive when considering the cost of materials and labor. in addition, pools constructed in this manner are not permanent to any significant extent, particularly in areas subject to heavy frost. Cracking of concrete structures is common whereby the pools must be repaired in order to hold water.

Attempts have been made to produce pools from plastic and other materials whereby the pools could be transported to a particular site and located in place. Such pools have, however, been unsatisfactory since they are extremely susceptible to frost heave. Thus, the pools will not stay in position in the ground and, therefore, detract from rather than adding to the appearance of a garden.

It is a general object of this invention to provide an improved pool construction of the type useful as a fish pond or other garden pool.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide a pool construction which can be manufactured to provide a one-piece construction whereby the pool can be transported to a desired location and placed in the ground without the necessity for any additional construction materials or any significant amount of labor.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a pool construction of the type described which is designed so that it will remain permanently in place in the ground and will not be subject to frost heave.

These and other objects of this invention will appear hereinafter and for purposes of illustration, but not of limitation, specific embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a pool construction characterized by the features of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation in perspective of the pool construction; and,

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken about the line 3-3 of FIG. 1 and illustrating the pool construction in place in the ground.

The pool construction of this invention is of the type suitablefor use in a garden, for example as a pond for goldfish. The construction includes an inner wall and a bottom wall which define the water holding portion of In the use of the pool construction, an excavation is first provided whereby the pool can be located in the ground with the top edge thereof being substantially flush with the ground. Under these conditions, both of the flanges are located below ground level. By surrounding the pool with fill material, either earth or stone or both, both flanges are covered, and it has been found that this arrangement substantially eliminates any possibility of frost heave. Accordingly, the pool can be maintained for an extended period of time without losing its attractive appearance.

The drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention. The pool construction 10 includes a bottom wall 12 and an upwardly extending interior wall 14. This wall may be flared slightly outwardly relative to the bottom wall, and thecombination of the bottom wall and interior wall provide a water holding area for the pool.

The top edge of the construction comprises a horizontally extending rim 16. A short outer wall 18 extends downwardly from its connection with this rim. A large flange 20 is integrally formed with respect to this outer wall, this flange extending horizontally outwardly all around the pool construction.

A second flange 22 is connected to the bottom wall of the construction. This flange is even larger than the flange 20 and it also extends in a horizontal plane all around the pool construction. The flange 22 may be integrally formed with the bottom wall 12 particularly if the pool construction is molded through the use of split mold techniques. On the other hand, the flange 22 may be provided by means of a separate sheet which is fused to the bottom wall by any standard technique.

The construction is preferably formed of a material which will withstand wear and corrosion for an indefinite period. It has been found that an acrylic base sheet can be readily vacuum'formed to the desired configuration. By applying a fiberglas spray composition over the exterior surfaces, the strength and resistance to environmental'conditions is greatly improved.

FIG. 3 illustrates the structure in position in the ground. It will be noted that fill material, preferably earth, extends over the lower fin 22, this material being firmly packed into this area. The fill material'extends upwardly between the walls 14 and 18, and beneath upper fin 20. The same fill material or a different material such as the stones 24 is employed for covering the flange 20. It will be noted that the rim 16 of the construction is then substantially at ground level.

With the arrangement described, the structure is substantially completely resistant to any dislocation due to frost or other environmental conditions. The double flange feature, coupled with the fact that both flanges are located beneath ground level is responsible for this stability. Applicant has, therefore, provided a structure which completely overcomes problems encountered with structures previously used for similar purposes.

It will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the above described construction which provide the characteristics of the invention without departing from the spirit thereof particularly as defined in the following claims.

That which is claimed is: i

1. A one-piece 'molded plastic pool construction for use in a garden and the like comprising an interior side wall portion defining a container for holding water, an

integrally formed outer wall extending downwardlyrel- ,ative to the interior wall for a short distance, a laterally extending top rim located between said inner and outer walls, said outer wall extending downwardly from said top rim in spaced relation with said inner wall, said outer wall, inner wall and lateral rim defining a cavity which circumscribes said container, an outwardly extending flange formed on said outer wall in downwardly spaced relation with said top rim, a second outwardly same plane as said surface.

extending flange formed on said inner wall and located at the bottom of the construction and attached thereto, said flanges extending all around the walls of the construction, said pool being located in place in an excava- 2. A construction in accordance with claim 1 wherein said molded plastic comprises a vacuum formed acrylic base sheet including a fiberglas spray coating on its exterior surfaces. 

1. A one-piece molded plastic pool construction for use in a garden and the like comprising an interior side wall portion defining a container for holding water, an integrally formed outer wall extending downwardly relative to the interior wall for a short distance, a laterally extending top rim located between said inner and outer walls, said outer wall extending downwardly from said top rim in spaced relation with said inner wall, said outer wall, inner wall and lateral rim defining a cavity which circumscribes said container, aN outwardly extending flange formed on said outer wall in downwardly spaced relation with said top rim, a second outwardly extending flange formed on said inner wall and located at the bottom of the construction and attached thereto, said flanges extending all around the walls of the construction, said pool being located in place in an excavation or the like whereby both flanges are positioned beneath the surface with fill material extending over both flanges, said top rim being located in substantially the same plane as said surface.
 2. A construction in accordance with claim 1 wherein said molded plastic comprises a vacuum formed acrylic base sheet including a fiberglas spray coating on its exterior surfaces. 